


Shànyì (善意)

by WroughtBetwixt



Category: Mulan (1998), Mulan (2020), Mulan - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Women, Canon Rewrite, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Magic, Magic-Users, Pre-Relationship, Queer Character, Queer!Mulan, Rescue, Shapeshifting, Trapped, War, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:06:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22423048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WroughtBetwixt/pseuds/WroughtBetwixt
Summary: Mulan accepts that her life will end on the mountain. Hope-- or something like it-- arrives on feathered wings.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 103





	Shànyì (善意)

**Author's Note:**

> After seeing the trailer for the live action Mulan, I was inspired to write this.
> 
> It was a "what if?" AU/canon divergence I had rolling around in my head for a long time, especially after doing some research on the Huns and their tendency in those days to take slaves/prisoners from conquered land and sell them to Rome. (And for Romans to defect to the Huns because of better treatment.) Slaves/prisoners could earn their freedom by fighting alongside the Huns. So, I wondered, what if the Huns had taken Mulan in after the battle on the mountains, instead of her going back?
> 
> This is a one shot, for now, but will be part of a series later.
> 
> The title is a play on the name Shan Yu-- 善意 in Mandarin means benevolence, or good will.

The sun was setting. The air was growing colder.

She was going to die on the mountain, Mulan thought absent-mindedly as she huddled against her horse, trying to stave off the encroaching chill. She’d been left there with her sword and armor, a few scant rations of food, and a thin blanket; it was more than she’d expected, considering Shang should have executed her by law, but it wasn’t enough to survive. Not with her injuries. And with the snow so deep all around her thanks to her clever trick, and who knew what sort of sharp weaponry buried with the dead under it all, simply riding out wasn’t possible. Her faithful companion had gone as far as he could, but they had only made it far enough to get out of the direct wind. 

It wouldn’t be enough to save them.

Mulan felt a brief stab of bitterness. Sparing her life was meaningless. It just traded a quick death for a slow, painful one, and the worst part is that she would never be able to tell her family goodbye or that she was sorry. Would they ever know what happened to her? Would anyone tell them? Would they be okay?

Tired. Mulan curled into a tight ball, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders and closing her eyes. She was so cold, and her entire body ached. Maybe if she just rested a moment, they could try again to find a way out… 

She was starting to drift when a faint rustle overhead stirred her. Mulan struggled to open her eyes. In the fading light, there was a shadow circling along the sparkling snow; she only had a moment to register the shadow as a bird before the falcon landed mere feet away. Mulan didn’t try to stand or fight as the falcon’s body began to transform, feathers melting in some haunting, almost beautiful way. There was little point in trying to escape the woman now standing in the bird’s place. 

Xian Lang stared down at Mulan, her wispy clothes billowing in the wind, and the last rays of sunlight glinting off the golden crown that graced her head. She didn’t speak at first, and when she did, her voice was both so soft that Mulan barely heard it– and sharp enough to cut to the bone. “I told you.”

_I told you they would betray you.  
_

_I told you they would leave you for dead.  
_

_I told you it was for nothing._

Those three words, and everything they meant, rested heavy in Mulan’s heart. She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She had no answer. She had no argument, nor any witty retort. All she had was that singular truth laid bare, and Mulan couldn’t deny it. “I know,” she answered, finally. “I know that, now.”

The witch didn’t blink those dark, amber eyes. “So, what now?”

Mulan stared up at her. What now? What else was there to do, except die? 

“Do you expect me to leave you here, to suffer?” Xian Lang continued. “Or perhaps you’ll ask me to end it quickly, before you freeze or starve?”

Shifting her gaze to the woman’s sharp talons, Mulan wondered what it would be like, to have them carve into her throat. “I killed your people.” She winced as she drew her sword, laying it in the snow between them. “Whatever punishment you deem fitting, I suppose, would be fair.”

Xian Lang looked at the sword. She moved forward then, slowly, before kneeling and picking up the sword. For a long moment, she studied the weapon, before closing the distance between them and offering the sword back to Mulan. “You should keep this, I think.”

“But…” Frowning, Mulan took the sword back. She glanced at it, before lifting her eyes back up to the witch, who was so close that Mulan could feel the warmth of her breath. “I don’t understand.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to, yet.” She stood, extending a hand. “But maybe you will. Why don’t I make you a different offer? Come with me. I will lead you safely off the mountain, and away from this place.”

“Why? Why would you do that?”

“Because my friend survived, and he wishes to look into the eyes of the soldier who defeated his army.”

“Ah. So he can kill me instead.”

“Maybe.” Xian Lang smiled, then, a wretched sort of smile that held little mirth. “Maybe not.”

Mulan eyed the witch’s hand before reaching out and taking it. There was no point in refusing. She had no other chance for survival, not that she could see, and if she died at the hands of the Hun leader… Well, so be it. Dying on her feet was preferable to dying in the snow like some abandoned dog. Xian Lang pressed her other hand to Mulan’s cheek; a pleasant sort of heat moved through her muscles, and the pain of her injuries dulled just enough to be bearable.

“Get on your horse, and follow me. It won’t be long if you trust my guidance.”

Nodding, Mulan did as she was ordered. Her horse huffed in protest at wading through the deep drifts in the dark, but Xian Lang wasn’t waiting. She was already walking away, moving on top of the snow as if she was weightless, with a soft glowing light in her hands like a tiny star among the night sky. Mulan had expected to feel some sort of reserve in following her, but there was none. Wherever she was leading Mulan, surely it couldn’t be any worse, and loyalty was no longer any concern.

Last time the witch offered help, Mulan had ignored it.

She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.


End file.
